When Hunter Pence found out that his beloved bat 'Fryer' had been sold at the memorabilia shop stationed in AT&T Park, he and his San Francisco teammates were shocked.

The bat — which somehow managed to make contact with a pitch three times, resulting in a bases-clearing double — helped the Giants to a 9-0 victory over the St. Louis Cardinals en route to the World Series.

This legendary and somewhat magical piece of Giants history was sold for $400 almost immediately after the game. And though the price may have been steep for a shattered piece of wood, the sentimental value for the historical lumber meant much more to 56-year-old Rick Algana.

Algana — who was one of ten vying to purchase the bat — explained, "I put my name in the hat for the bat with 10 other guys and they pulled my name out, I went wild. I thought, 'Well, I've got the bat. I'll try for the ball, too.'"

And wouldn't you know it, he got that too.

Though Algana had originally planned on keeping his souvenirs and giving them to his son as a Christmas present, a little advice from his youngest persuaded him to return Fryer to its owner.

"My son, J.D., said, 'You know, Dad, you really should give that bat back to Hunter Pence.' I thought, 'Hey, I'm the dad. I've got to do what's right."

Pence was naturally excited that the bat was being returned to where it belonged and Algana — now considered a hero to superstitious Giants fans — left the ballpark with more than he came with.

In exchange for his generosity, Algana was rewarded with a signed bat — all in one piece — by Pence, as well as tickets in a luxury suite to watch Game 1 of the World Series against the Tigers on Wednesday. The Giants won that game with Fryer resting comfortably at home, and San Francisco is now just three games away from a World Series championship.